Finding My Way

My return to performance photography was not something I had not consciously considered as a way of occupying my time as I get older. It was, after all, better than three decades since I had picked up a camera professionally.

After a long absence and a bit of time on my hands I began to organizing my personal life.. Several years into this process, as I began unpacking my storage locker. There, packed a very long time ago were, among other things, slides and negatives of the many shows I photographed over the years.

The film with these images was rescued from destruction following several natural disasters. A large portion, unfortunately, was damaged beyond any hope of restoration. Of those that survived, I will add a selection to these pages as my attempt to share my experiences with you. Some of the artists in these photos are no longer with us. We recently lost Richie Havens and Lou Reed. Others departed us years ago. On the bright side, so many are still actively creating and touring. When your favorite band come to town, go see them! You will discover that you have not changed all that much.

Scanning the film and tranparencies reignited the passion I had felt years earlier. Perhaps it's my mid-life crisis and the camera equipment i purchased is just a substitute for someone else's sports car or motorcycle? There are however, some huge differences between photography then, and now. More on that later.

Which brings me to today. While I still photograph more than a few rock or blues concerts, these

days much of my current work takes me down different paths. I tend to stay away from major shows, except for specific assignments, which have become restrictive in access, shooting time alloted and in some cases ownership rights of the images. It is likely that as a member of the working press, I could get more time photographing the Pope or another public figure than at a concert photographing some rock star. However, I still get a rush, being in the pit in front of the stage, - even if it is only for the "first three, no flash."